Chain



' UNITED. STATES PATENT, GFFLCE.; a

Y FREDERICK W. Lewis-'or PROVIDENCE, RHODE. ISLAND', AssrGNon a 'Y EOLLISTER oo., or PROVIDENCE, RHOnEvisLAND, A CORPORATION OF :RHODE T 0 all whom t may concern; j' Y Be it'known.V that I, FREDERICK W. LEWIS, a citizen ofthe `United States, residingVA at Providence, in the county 'of Providence vand State of 'Rhode Island', have invented certain new and usefu Improvements in Chains, of which the following is al specification'. j

The "invention Arelates primarily to chains, but it is especiallyfad'apted ,for use Vin the Vjewelry art inthe construction of bracelets, rings, necklace andthelike.l Q,

The principal objectY of the invention isA toV provide a novel constructionof chain'A in which the use of'soldenisfobviatevd, and which is capable of longitudinaliixibility A further object of the invention is to provide a link consisting of a single piece of material, which obviates the use of independent connecting pins, screws or rivets. y

Another object of the invention is to prO- duce a chain which is inexpensive tomanufacture and Awhich is composed of'a series ofv links which are so constructed as to enable them to be easily and quickly attachedr to or removed from the chain.

To these ends the inventionconsistsof the novel construct-ion and arrangement of'parts hereinafter described and more particularly set forth in the claims.' In describing the invention in detail, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, inl which- Figure 1 is a top `plan view of .a port-ion Vof my improved chain.

Figure 2 is a side elevation. Figure 3 1s a bottom elevat1on. Y Figure 4 1s an enlarged longitudinal cen- Y tral section of two of the links.

Figures 5, 6, 7 andf8 are a plan view, a side view, an end view and a bottom view respectively of my novel form of link.

Figure 9 isa plan view of the under side of a plurality of links showing the bendable hinge-arms opened up on one link in position to enter the next adjacent link in assembling. i

Referringvto the drawings, my improved chain comprises a plurality of novel links 1, each of which consists of a substantially rectangular solid body portion. Each link 1 is provided at one end upon the bottom with two longitudinally extending lugs or arms 2, each of which has at its free end an inwardly extending hinge-member 3,' as shown in Figure. 1. Said hinge-members 3 'i Specification of Letters Patent. 1. Patented Feb. 7, 1922. p'pnbatitn :mea much 12,1951. "seal N.'45`1,s`15.

varespaced vfrom the end 'ofthebody portifon and arranged above'the 'plane of the bottom of the bodyv portiom Vas shown inl rFigure Il. pThe bottom ofthe body if. portion lA at the opposite end 'is cut away upon eaclrside to formthe re cesses Y 4, ywhich extend longitudinally Y'and in alinelnent with' the arms2', as'shownin A Figure 9. VThese recessesy are vof aflength andlde'p'th torec'eive the arms 2.0i an adjacent link, sothat when said arms engage said recesses, the 'bottom Surface of eachlug will be'flush with the bottom surface-of the body portion. A lhole 5 extendsthrough the reduced body portion orremaining fin fadj'acent the inner end of the recesses 4" and is of'a size to freely receive the hinge members 3.

In assembling the links the lugs or arms 2 are spread apart, as shown inFigureQ, so as to enable the hinge-member 23V to straddle the reduced part of the body portion between the recesses t and be inserted in the hole 5 in the body portion ofthe next adjacent link. When the free ends of said hinge-members 3 are brought into alinement with the hole 5 the arms 2 are closed, thereby forcing the hinge-members into the hole and pivotally joining the links to eachother.

- Vlith the above construction it will be seen that the two hinge-members 3 form a split hinge-member which can bel quickly and easily opened up or closed for attaching or removing one link from another. It willk also be seen that the links, being pivotally joined to eachother transversely, are capable of assuming the positions shown in Figure 4, thereby giving to the chain a lonf gitudinal flexibility.

By this construction it will be noted that the links are each swaged up complete of one single piece of stock, and the different links may be connected up together by a single operation by simply bending'inwardly the pair of arms of each link to pass its pivots into the openings of the next adjacent link.

By my particular arrangement of parts the joints between the links of the braceletV are practically closed and the same is very handsome and attractive 1n appearance.

I claim:

1. A chain link comprising a one piece body member provided at one end with a pair of integral bendable hinge arms having inturned pivot ends and at its other end with an .opening to receive the pivots carriedv b the arms of' the next adjacent link.

2.*An article lof the character'described, comprising a plurality of links, each con-v sisting cfa one part solid body portion provided at one end with a pair of integral bendable arms having inturned pivot ends,

' transversely through itat substantially the samefdi'stance'from 'the opposite endk asthe width of the space between the hinge-mem- Y ber and the body.

4. y'1, n*'art icle"of the character described comprlsing la plurality of links, each linky consisting of a body, 'two bendable arms upon .one` end ofthe body a hin e-member formed Iintegral withv each vof sai arms and the opposite end ofv said body beingprovided with a reduced portion or central fin having a transverse hole therethroughy near its lower edge to receivev said hinge members.

5. An article of the character described,

comprising a plurality of links, each link .consisting of a body, two lugs projecting longitudinally from one end of the body, each of said lugs being provided at its free end with a transverse hinge-member, Ytwol longitudinal channels at the opposite end of the body adapted to receive said lugs land a hole extending Vtransversely throughthe body adapted to ,receive said hinge-members.

76. An article of the character described,

comprising a plurality o-links, each link 'i consisting of a body, two lugs upon fone end of the body-and lushgwith the 'bottom thereof a portion of'a hinge-memberY formed integra c upon the opposite end of the body in longitudinal alinemen't with said lugs, and a hole Y .adjacent'the inner end of said channels and extending transversely through said body'.l

In testimony whereofl I 'alix my signature. FREDERICK AW. LEWIS.

Vwith each of said lugsjtwo channels v 

